Choosing a Logo

In my university class, we had an unusual assignment...well one I've never had before. I had to design/create a personal logo, something that would reflect my personal philosophy, my deeply held beliefs regarding teaching.

As I pondered what to do, I thought about this blog's name. "Brick by Brick" sums up a lot of my philosophy for teaching. (After all, it's explained over there on the right.)

So I searched through the zillions of photos I have to see if I had a stack of blocks that would be just right. I found this one.

We had to include a reflection (my favorite thing!) on the logo we chose. Here what I wrote about it.

My logo is a tower of blocks, built by a child. Teaching begins and ends with the child. As a teacher, I must always keep in mind the children I teach—their prior knowledge, their personalities and preferences, their interactions with others, and all other things that contribute to the individuals they are and the class they combine to form.

The blocks themselves symbolize the content children learn and the methods I use to teach. I introduce concepts and ideas to students. They must build those concepts and ideas on what they already know, rearranging or adjusting the construction as the new information requires. I can help them see where blocks connect and can help them shore up the unstable parts of their understanding. Not all the blocks are the same shape or color and they don’t line up exactly in the tower; that’s how learning is. It’s uneven and shifting.

The tower of blocks also represents me as a teacher. I’ve been compiling information and experiences in teaching children for many years. I add information to my understanding, rearrange my conclusions, and refine my philosophy as I grow and learn. In my new experiences this year as a full-time public school teacher, I have added quite a few blocks and rebuilt my tower in various ways. The extra block by the tower reminds me that new knowledge and understanding is always coming in. I must be ready to evaluate and incorporate these ideas in my teaching philosophy and practice.

I think my favorite part is the extra block to the side. There's always something to add or think about, always something new. Sometimes that block gets added quickly; sometimes it sits by the tower for a while.

What image or object would reflect your deeply held beliefs about teaching?

(P.S. You will probably see that stack of blocks again in the near future.)